Grev

Like kissing someone who's wearing lipstick and sucking on an Altoid. They've had the lipstick on for a few hours, so the taste isn't strong, but you can tell it's a fancy, old department store brand, like Chanel or YSL. The Altoid takes center stage, and it adds a surreal quality to the kiss, like you're suddenly hiking through a snowy, deciduous forest, instead of standing outside of a bar after midnight. Grev is a real holy grail find for me, a scent I've wanted to try for years and figured I'd never get the chance. I put it on my to-do list before I realized Slumberhouse's whole deal of putting something beautiful out and then taking it away, maybe forever. When I saw that Josh Lobb was rereleasing a bundle of perfumes that included Grev, I knew I had to take a chance on it. I've tried a few of their scents by now, but this was always the one I wanted to try most because I love minty scents, so I figured I'd adore this. So pleased to immediately discover I wasn't wrong, and it's probably my favorite of the Slumberhouse perfumes I've tried. Grev is just divine, and not quite like any fougere I've smelled before. Projects well and sticks to the skin. It also really manages to hold onto that minty feel, which is a feat not many perfumes accomplish. Usually you just get that from the top notes, then it's gone, so you don't ever really get to enjoy it. And while that spearmint does fade a little, but you definitely get to keep a decent amount of that initial freshness. I get the impression Grev makes this work by leaning on unexpected notes you wouldn't necessarily expect to be minty, like pine resin. The scent's copy emphasizes masculinity, but I definitely don't see it as overtly gendered. Orris adds a powdery feel that could read like shaving cream, but I think it adds a nice femininity to the scent. Kind of even feels like peeking in a fancy lady's purse. I imagine the freshness makes it really comforting in cold seasons and refreshing in hot weather. Especially perfect for a rainy, moody day. A tiny sample cost me $8 and it was totally worth it. If this ever comes out again, I'll probably buy a whole bottle without thinking twice. Really beautiful and lives up to the hype.

Stone cold clove love. Yet another rich, medicinal, weird, wonderful Slumberhouse I want to curl up and snuggle with almost forever. It's a bit more discreet than the house norm - not as much of an all-out, amped-to-11 treatment as in some of the other thicker and more syrupy ones (Kiste, Baque, Jeke) -but still recognisably from the same rugged stable and with that same unapologetic 'yeah, this is me - who are YOU?' feel to it. It's not all that complex - yes, you certainly get very big cloves and fir and can sense a bit of the balms keeping it round and bouncy - but other than a slow clove retreat it doesn't evolve much. I get no orris at all, completely squashed by the more extrovert notes here, but the overall balance is pretty near perfect and ends up smelling like not much else. There's a slightly cooler feel from the the fir and it's not a shouty barnstormer like Jeke or Norne, but that may suit some wearers more anyway. Around the corners it might have a bit of the same feel as Memo Tiger's Nest or D S & Durga Amber Teutonic - it's that sort of warm-yet-odd, almost-medicinal thing - or give Rouge Bunny Rouge's fiery burning Embers some stiff competition in the 'clove-iest clove scent ever' category - but it doesn't smell exactly like any of them. Just lovely, and to me perfectly unisex IF you like strongly aromatic, individual stuff and a few initially spiky cloves don't scare you off. Like all the Slumberhouses I've ever tried, it is a character actor, not a mass-market movie star. It won't be for everyone; you might find it odd or off-key or maybe even repulsive. But it has true charisma and makes its presence felt even when speaking more quietly than others in the room. Skills!

This is the smell of a cold, frigid Siberian-Arctic blast in Tohoku, north-west Japan. This is the smell of a sun setting at 4 pm, it's already heavily snowing and the wind is fierce. This is what Grev is for me. I already get sneezy and nose-runny at the slightest chill, but Northern Japan throws other obstacles my way. The wind comes in from Siberia/Arctic and is INSANE. It has a specific scent to it, icy, fresh and crispy and that's what Grev reminds me of. The fir/cloves/copahu/iris works EXCELLENTLY in combination, and this mix produces something that is equally cold weather and warm weather. I'd wear this exclusively in warmer weather, which is unfortunately behind me at the moment, but I will still steal a few sniffs in the middle of winter, just because. I didn't like this one nearly as much when I lived in the tropics...

76) this is my favorite in this brand. A very nice effect of freshness, like jogging in a large North American connifere forest. It is medicinal and energizing, invigorating. The trend is towards a balm sandalwood. If this perfume was still available it would be among my favorites ... but unfortunately its creator seems very whimsical. weak sillage and less longevity than the others. c'est mon favoris dans cette marque. Une très bel effet de fraicheur, comme faire un jogging dans une grand forêt de connifères nord américaine. C'est médicinal et énergétique, revigorant. L'évolution tend vers un baume de santal. Si ce parfum était toujours accessible il serait parmis mes favoris...mais malheureusement son créateur semble très lunatique.

Lemony Confers. Conifers are more sweet than green perhaps by the influence of cloves. Sweet soft cloves. Hints of mauve, lavender but not lavender, Homemade all natural cordial juiced water. Refreshing. White fish marinated in lime juice on a bed of fragrant conifer branches. Initial soft bright. Grows softer with time. Distinctive. Aqua blue juice color matches well the smell. After a couple of hours have come to the conclusion that Conifers and Cloves = unique and genius. Has Josh created a new genre ? Lovely, gets even lovelier with time. 4.2 / 5 [notes] 1548 physician Ogier Ferrier mentions the use of cloves as an aromatic component for the censer box reference: Annick Le Guerer, Scent, 1992